The Antlers- Hospice

Hospice

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1. Prologue
2. Kettering
3. Sylvia
4. Atrophy
5. Bear
6. Thirteen
7. Two
8. Shiva
9. Wake
10. Epilogue



Several listens of this album has left me quite speechless, but since that sort've snookers you if you're trying to write about an album, i'll have to manage.
Hospice is the work of singer songwriter Peter Silberman, who upon moving to NYC in 2006, disappeared into isolation for a year and a half. Hospice emerged out of this isolation, and as such is beautiful, introspective, and forlorn.
The theme of sadness prevails throughout this album, conveyed through slow, dreamy tunes and Silberman's wistful falsettos. His voice is brilliant, and couldn't suit this music better.

The album starts off with the eerie Prologue, and sets the scene that Hospice is going to be a heavy, less than cheery affair. By the second listen of this album I had forgotten how beautiful Kettering was. A minimalist piano piece with an Anthony Hegarty esque vocal makes for a chilling experience. "I should have quit but instead I took care of you/You made me sleep and uneven/And I didn't believe them when they told me there was no saving you." The soundtrack to the next Fast and Furious film, this is not. Some shoegaze elements and crashing drums culminate in a devastating triumph.

Sylvia starts as tentatively as previous tracks, before exploding in a wall of sound. Atrophy is a gentle and desperate tale, but the album keeps its head just above the water (The water here being, you wanting to kill yourself) with melodic piano lines and fuzzy electronics. Also tucked away at the end of Atrophy is a wonderous acoustic gem.
Singles Bear and Two aren't nearly as sorrowful as the other tracks on the album, yet still maintain the bands' characteristically introspective sound. The latter even manages to be a great pop song.

The album finishes with Epilogue (Lol prologue + epilogue I c wut they did der) . For a song with truly depressing lyrics, it still manages to be a perfectly contented pop-acoustic song. "But now it's not a cancer ward/we're sleeping in the morgue." Yes, quite. Silberman's vocals reach an emotional apex before he is cut off by fuzzy electronics. Honestly, this isn't as tragic as it sounds. It's not going to win you any friends as a happy go lucky kinda guy, and it won't be DJ Dez Dancelot's choice on a Saturday night, but on a grey cloudy day, I can think of nothing better to stick on and fall asleep to.

I haven't listened to an album this year yet and thought, aw jeah, album of the year material.


'Bout frikkin time.

9.2/10